GCCC Bulldozes Spit Dunes

May 14, 2008

Sadly, The Spit is again under attack - and this time from the GCCC in its apparently unending push to impose a concrete path from one end of the Gold Coast beaches to the other - which happens to be The Spit.

1. Consultation - what Consultation?

Last September SOSA attended a GCCC meeting when Council officers presented the "final draft" of its planned extension to its Oceanway concrete path, starting north of the Sheraton and ending at Fed Walk.

It seemed odd to be consulted about a 'final'.

Nevertheless, SOSA expressed very strong views that destruction of part of The Spit dunes and vegetation for a 550 m concrete pathway was both unnecessary and inappropriate, especially where an existing, level, safe, lit and wheelchair friendly pathway through Phillip Park already services the area, but is in need of upgrading. SOSA also wrote to GCCC including Cr Susie Douglas (see link below).

We heard nothing more - from anyone - until a letter (which we did not receive) was sent announcing project go-ahead apparently a few days before work began last week.

Last week sometime, GCCC sent in the bulldozers. Right now today GCCC is bulldozing natural trees and vegetation for a 5-7 m concrete path which will run for 550 metres through the sand dunes immediately north of the Sheraton, all the way to Federation Walk. See www.goldcoastcity.com.au/oceanway. Council reps claim it will stop there - but history and greed suggests otherwise.

It is not too late for the area to be remediated. Nor is it too late to influence a softer path option - such as the smooth crushed rock or 'cracker dust' which is used in places like parts of Fed Walk or Healesville Sanctuary in Melbourne. Nor is it ever too late to try to prevent any recurrence of this sort of bulldozing (no pun intended) behaviour.